The production of the Challenger dropped from close to 77,000 units in 1970 to just 26,000 cars a year later. And unfortunately for Dodge, the decline continued in 1972, as the company produced fewer than 23,000 Challenger for this model year.
Out of all these cars, only 842 were fitted with a six-cylinder engine, as the rest rolled off the assembly lines with a V8 under the hood. More than 15,000 were dressed as hardtops.
One of them is right here, fresh from a 40-year coma. eBay seller tintonautowrecking says the car was parked at some point during the ‘80s, and this makes the car’s current condition even more surprising.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean the Challenger is spotless. The car still requires rust repair, but this isn’t exactly unexpected given the decades of sitting.
However, this 1972 Challenger has all the strong selling points of a perfect restoration candidate.
First and foremost, it’s fully unmolested. This means that everything that was on the car when it rolled off the assembly lines is still there, untouched and unchanged by the next owners.
Then, the car is still stock, so no upgrades were performed. The original paint is still on the car, and the engine is the same one that was hiding under the hood when the Challenger was born. It’s a 318 V8 unit, and just as expected, it’s no longer in tip-top shape today.
However, the seller claims they managed to turn the engine, so in theory, there’s still some life left in it, and a full rebuild is still possible.
Now let’s talk money. The car isn’t being sold as part of an auction, as the Challenger was posted on eBay with a fixed price. In other words, anyone willing to pay $6,000 should be able to give this Challenger a second chance, though the Make Offer button has also been enabled for people interested in another deal.